Del Mar Dining

Del Mar offers many great dining choices such as upscale restaurants like Il Fornaio and Epazote’s at the Del Mar Plaza in downtown Del Mar. But there’s a restaurant here suited for every occasion and budget, as well as fast-food choices, and a great market for choosing your own fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood. In nearby Del Mar Highlands there’s a wide array of restaurants for the evening out or for family-style dining. Closer to the beach, there’s the Americana restaurant, the Poseidon, and Jake’s, a popular beach-side restaurant with fantastic views and wonderful California cuisine.

Del Mar's luxury and elegance are exemplified at their variety of restaurants and dining selections. There are many exceptional places to dine throughout Del Mar that feature menus designed by top notch chefs who strive to create meals that look just as amazing as they taste. In addition to their fine restaurants, Del Mar also has a range of more casual and laid back places to eat at that serve anything from pizza and hamburgers to pasta and salads. And of course, most of the restaurants here in Del Mar feature many fresh and tasty seafood selections caught right along the California coast line that Del Mar overlooks. The quality and selections at Del Mar's restaurants are always outstanding and will leave you satisfied with a new favorite restaurant of choice.

Fine Dining:

One of Del Mar's upscale and highly recommended restaurants is Market Restaurant and Bar, blending a diversity of gourmet menu items with sophistication and eclectic tastes that will indulge and delight every visitor here. This American cuisine style restaurant is far from anything typical of American cuisine; Chef Ryan Johnston's seasonal menu selections include fresh fish and seafood (salmon, mahi-mahi, shrimp, and crab), chicken, and their favored steaks and pork chops, in particular their Porterhouse Steak. And let's not forget their delectable dessert menu, which continues to encourage the indulgences by offering rich homemade flavors to finish off the meal. Dessert menu items include profiterole, served with their own homemade peanut butter ice cream and drizzled chocolate sauce, and a vanilla panecotta topped with a selection of fresh berries, both guaranteed to make your mouth water. The friendly, warm atmosphere and Johnston's tempting menu will leave keep you coming back until you have tried everything on the menu, as this restaurant unquestionably lives up to its rating of excellence.

Price range: $$/$$$$
Located at 3702 Via de la Valle
Call (858) 523-0007 for reservations and more information

With elegance and upscale dining in mind, Scalini offers its guests more than just fine Italian cuisine, but an experience that will surely leave you both impressed and delighted by this discovery. The restaurant's Mediterranean décor infuses class and excellence, while still emitting a rich and warm atmosphere. Scalini's menu items are created by their masterful and sophisticated chefs who aim for excellence in both their taste and visual appeal. Meals are prepared using seasonally fresh ingredients to help create their rich and savory dishes that are enjoyed while overlooking the nearby Del Mar polo grounds, making the evening “quite superb.”

Price range: $$$
Located at 3790 Via de la Valle (on the top floor)
Call (858) 259-9944 for reservations and more information

Casual Dining:

For a casual dining experience infused with an embracing island atmosphere and beachfront setting, check out Jake's Del Mar. Jake's boasts itself as a “classic waterfront grill,” and with the restaurant's panoramic, picturesque views of the Pacific coast, it is easy to see why they are a favorite among southern California locals and tourists. Menu selections at Jake's include a variety of fresh fish and seafood coming from along the California coast, as well as exceptional meats, including steaks and chops. Jake's bar also entertains its guests with appetizers, drinks and their lively atmosphere that continues past sunset (which you can enjoy while dining here). Open for brunch, lunch, and dinner, the menu also includes selections for children and a separate dessert menu that features their famous Hula Pie that is their specialty favorite and absolutely delicious.

Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Company is a great place to meet up with your buddies to have some drinks and watch the latest sports games or to bring the whole family for pizza night. Oggi's menu includes a variety of gourmet pizzas, calzones, salads, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, and much more! Their nationally renowned microbrews are all brewed on site and just what any beer-lover could ask for. Oggi's offers daily lunch specials and happy hours with $3 pints and $8.95 pitchers, as well as pick-up and delivery orders.

Price range: $/$$
Located at 12840 Carmel Country Road
Call: (858) 481-7883 for more information

Poseidon on the Beach is another favorite beachfront dining spot that offers guests a casual and informal experience combined with a full beach ambiance setting. Poseidon features both indoor and outdoor patio seating along the Pacific coast line, as well as a variety of menu favorites that include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Selections here include fresh coastal cuisine, as well as steaks and meats that are tender and flavorful. There is plenty to choose from on their menus for everyone in the family to enjoy, from their own clam chowder and rosemary chicken sandwich, to their sake steamed black mussels and grilled filet mignon and Maine lobsters, all topped off with a thick wedge of their gooey chocolate Mud Pie for dessert.

Price range: $$/$$$
Located on the beach at 1670 Coast Boulevard
Call: (858) 755-9345 for reservations and more information

Other restaurants to check out in Del Mar:

For more fine dining restaurants try:

Il Fornaio is another fine Italian restaurant in Del Mar featuring savory Italian favorites in a warm and inviting atmosphere. The dining experience here will be all the more complete if you are able to dine while the sun is setting-the restaurant's view of the horizon is absolutely beautiful!

Pacifica Del Mar for some of Southern California 's finest coastal cuisine and breathtaking ocean view. With a “casually sophisticated” atmosphere, Pacifica Del Mar has always been a favorite restaurant for residents and tourists in the San Diego area.

Price: $$/$$$$
Located at 1555 Camino Del Mar
Call: (858) 792-0476 for more information and reservations

More casual dining restaurant options:

A well known San Diego tradition for nearly 40 years, Bully's Restaurant serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and San Diego 's “best prime rib.” Bully's menu offers a variety of selections from steaks and seafood, to burgers and sandwiches, all of exceptional taste and quality. Daily happy hours include special priced appetizers and draft and micro-brew beers. Bully's is open daily serving food until midnight for late night diners.

Champagne French Bakery is an “elegant, yet casual” gourmet French dining experience. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving a variety of delicious French cuisine. Favorites here include their Brioche French Toast (cinnamon dipped brioche with toasted almonds, strawberries, and syrup), Strawberry and Crème Crepes, Garlic Chicken grilled French Panini, and the traditional French Quiche Lorraine.